Trout Hill 2

The Iron Age hillfort at Trout Hill commands the landscape above Lynton with a clarity that catches you off guard. Standing on the ramparts, you're looking out across Devon's northern coast with a proper sense of why someone chose this spot two thousand years ago - defensible, visible, commanding.

What you're actually exploring is a series of earthworks, the defensive ditches and banks that once enclosed a settlement. It's not dramatic in the way of some hillforts - no towering stone walls or reconstructed roundhouses - but that's precisely why it works. You get to read the landscape yourself, piece together the logic of how Iron Age people organised their world.

This is ideal territory for walkers and history types rather than families after a quick photo stop. The approach involves proper moorland walking, and there's nothing here to hold a bored ten-year-old's attention for long. But if you're the sort who enjoys understanding settlement patterns and defensive strategy, it's genuinely absorbing.

The real strength is how it slots into a broader exploration of Exmoor's archaeology. From Lynmouth Holiday Retreat down on the coast, Trout Hill sits as a natural inland counterpoint to your seaside base - perhaps a morning's walk away, depending which route you take through the moorland.

Allow a couple of hours if you want to properly walk the site and take in the views. Bring an Ordnance Survey map. The location itself is free and accessible, though checking locally in Lynton about current conditions is sensible before you head out.